Topic: Snapchat
unnamed.png
Description:
Snapchat is an application that was developed by Stanford students Evan Spiegel and Robert Murphy, and was released in September 2011. It is a photo-messaging application that enables users to send photos or videos to either a single recipient or group of people. This application is available for both Android and iOS devices.

Snapchat Founders.jpg
Snapchat Founders: Robert Murphy (left) and Evan Spiegel (right)


The user is able to set up a "friends list", which provides a list of all possible recipients. The user is able to choose whom they wish to receive the media or place it on "mystory". The "mystory" is available to be seen for 24 hours by those that the user allows. After taking the photo or video, the user is able to edit the picture with text or drawings. The user chooses a time limit, from 1 to 10 seconds, for how long the recipient can view the sent media. After the set amount of time, the media can no longer be viewed by the recipient.


Applications:

The main utility of this app is its social media aspect. Users have the ability to send their friends pictures of themselves to tell them what they are doing. The majority of users are women. What started as social media tool, has found other useful applications. Now companies are able to use this app to broadcast pictures and send users advertisements. . The app is shifting from a user to user or friend to friend use to more of a mass media advertising tool. Major companies, such as Red Bull, now have snapchat accounts.

Related Links:
http://www.snapchat.com
http://webtrends.about.com/od/Iphone-Apps/a/What-Is-Snapchat.htm
https://twitter.com/Snapchat
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Snapchat